Friday, November 27, 2009

Wow, I can't believe Thanksgiving has come and gone again! Where has this year gone? Well, I had a WONDERFUL visit with my children and grandchildren for the last week...and now I'm relaxing from all the excitement. We went for walks on the beach, bike rides, more walks on the beach, and more bike rides:) What a blast we had!

I thought it would be very appropriate to use this time to make a Thankful for...book:)

I started with an MOSD step acrylic book. I took it apart and used a few of the pages mixed with a decorative acrylic sheet that I cut apart along with some MOSD flowers and stick-ons. I also used one of the MOSD chipboard pages from my MOSD stash.

One of my new favorite things to do is to take paper scraps (or acrylic scraps) and attach card stock off the edge that become mats for photos. This is a great way to use some of those strips you end up with after matting photos or trimming down for mini books.

I used some stick-ons on this page. There is a close up of this page below with further information.

I was also excited to find I had a TON of rub-ons in my stash that matched the fall colors of teal and brown that I used for this album...it also helped that my grand kids dressed in similar colors. Whoo hoo, I LOVE IT when a PLAN comes together:)

You may notice that on this page, my stick-ons are teal...my secret "potion" is to use alcohol inks on them. Before they are even picked up from the page, I used alcohol ink on some white stick-ons, then "picked them up" with the sticky backing. I was thrilled to see that the sticky backing did NOT lift off the alcohol ink. It was also great to see that because I used these on acrylic, I could still see the white side of the stick-on on the other side of the acrylic page.

The other really cool effect was the chandelier stamp. I first stamped with timber brown staz on ink. Then I went over it using a snow cap paint dabber. I loved the "texture" this gave the chandelier.

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Hey folks! It's Gloria with you today! It seems a long time since I was here! I hope you are enjoying all the projects by the rest of the DT! I've seen some fabbie things posted recently!Today, I have a Christmas Countdown Wall Hanging to show you. I had such great response to my Halloween wall decor, that I wanted to make one in a Christmas theme. These are fun and easy to make! The one for today is made from the acrylic cover of a Big Boy album, which is 6x12. (If you click on the photos you can see a larger image.)

I made this so that you can use the numbers for an Advent calendar, as a Christmas countdown, or simply to show each date in December! The left number set has zero through 3 and the right set has zero through 9. But you could make them in any combo you like. I used the MOSD Cute Petite album (plus some extra pages I cut from scrap chipboard) for the numbers. They measure 2x2. And I used MOSD Stick-On numbers for each small square. I hung the number squares from the acrylic panel with MOSD clear binding rings.

I started out by painting the edges of the Big Boy cover with white acrylic paint (Ranger paint dabber). Then I cut a piece of Dream Street printed paper to 5.5x11.5 for the background. I decorated the background with more Dream Street papers, MOSD letter Stick-Ons (in white, to spell "December"), and I printed out a calendar, which I added to the background.

I used the Dahlia Spellbinders dies to cut the flower accent and some EK Success snow flake punches to add some snowflake accents. The border is punched with the Martha Stewart doily punch. There is also some bling scattered about in the form of rhinestones.

That yummy ribbon is Stampin' Up. You get a ton of ribbon on the rolls so it's a GREAT value! Once I had the whole background assembled, I attached it to the clear acrylic cover, then punched holes into the acrylic and added white eyelets. I did that so I could hang my numbers and my ribbon. It just gives it a finished look. I used the Crop-a-Dile to punch through the acrylic cover and the chipboard squares.

I also used some white ink to edge each number square, just to make them pop. You can make these wall hangings in any color scheme or style. They make a fantastic accent for a wall in your home or in your office at work.

I hope you enjoyed this project! I will see you December 25th with another project! Until then, have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Monday, November 23, 2009

My 10 Things project is a teeny, tiny, itty, bitty, Cover 2 Cover Petite album that I created with the theme "10 Things I Can't Live Without." I needed a few more pages for the album, so I simply cut some from cardstock and punched a hole to thread onto the ball chain closure.

For the cover, I glued some sewing pattern paper to the backside and added brown Staz On ink to give it a grungy look. I used number rub-ons from 7 Gypsies and mini alphas from My Little Shoebox to create a unique title. I wanted this little album to pack in as much design as possible! I layered on some old sheet music pieces and tied on various ribbons, fiber, and lace. The patterned paper used inside the book is from Daisy D's - I've been hoarding it waiting for the perfect project.

Now onto my 10 Things. I chose a more "cheeky" take on what I can't live without. Of course I have the essentials - my husband, my cats - but the rest are all the little things that make my life better. How appropriate to use the littlest album for all those little things.

To alter the book's chipboard pages, I used a gold paint dabber and tarnished brass Distress Crackle Paint. To size my photos down to 1.5 inches, I simply inserted them into a Word document on my computer, resized the image, then printed the Word document containing all the images.

I hope our 10 Things theme has inspired you during this season of thanks and giving.

Saturday, November 21, 2009

My husband's birthday is on Monday and I'm giving you a peek at part of his birthday present. He doesn't surf the scrap sites, so I should be safe :-) This is a picture of my husband with our two kids, taken a couple years ago. I wish he'd been smiling!! I used the Star Intracacy Die Cut Paper in white. It measures 11x11 so it was easy to place it on a 12x12 piece of patterned paper and not have to trim. I used rubons to spell out 10 things that make their dad a superstar. I plan to get this framed so he can hang it up at work.

Friday, November 20, 2009

Yes - with MOSD products you can make your own storybook! Well, that and in this case, a little help from my friends in the digital world! I will tell you it was VERY EASY.

I used Lorie Davison's A VERY BUSY DAY CHILDREN'S BOOK kit. This is a story written by Stephanie Ralla Salanova and uses Lorie's Digital Graphics. It's actually a kit of Quick Pages. This really means that 90% of the work is done for you! The words are separate...you add the words and your photos to the pages and you have a customized, personalized story book that your child will treasure for a LONG time!

So here we go...

I have used the MOSD 8x8 Acrylic Covers and Chipboard Pages. This will give the book both protection and stability. I joined the pages and covers with "C" Rings (which can be found at your local office supply store) and decorated with ribbons.

These are a few of the pages you will be able to create using this kit - again, they are Quick Pages. Just drag the words (which are also available in a French version) onto your page and add your own photos!

I did, however, create my own back cover using Lorie's DON'T EAT THE WORMS preview kit. I believe this was a freebie on the Scrapbook Graphics Studio Matters blog. Because I didn't use the title page included in the kit - my back cover would have been blank chipboard. So instead, I created a back cover using Don't Eat the Worms and personalized it for my son with the all the credits as well as a dedication at the bottom.

I hope you enjoy these story books and make one of your own! Obviously you can grab a kit like I did, or you can scrap it with paper in your own way, with your own story! Or even tell your child THEIR story - whatever it may be.

Again, I used the 8x8 Coverset and chipboard pages, however, I also printed out several of these pages at 6x6 in size and they were still easy to read - so if you prefer a 6x6 version, MOSD does also offer you the 6x6 option. If you are not doing it with a premade digital kit like I did, any size MOSD album would work to tell your child a story!

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Hello beautiful people, it's Amy! I am back this month to share with you an album I created. This Album is very special to me and I will tell you why! A few of the ladies on the MOSD DT have decided to focus on a '10 things' theme this month. I was trying to figure out exactly what I wanted to do with this theme and was talking it over with my husband on the phone one evening. We went over several ideas and in the end I was still undecided. The next morning I woke up to an email from the DH titled '10 things I love about Amy'.... I was so over the moon at his thoughtfulness and decided that his list would become the subject for this month's project!

So here it is, my album, 10 things he loves About Me:

The base of the album is the MOSD Expression Wordbook and Ali sent us these wonderful letter Stick ons to go on the edges. I absolutely LOVE how they give the letters such definition! The very front page of the album I actually used an Acrylic page from the Clearly Designed - Show Off album. Adding MOSD acrylic pages to albums is the perfect way to add that extra little special 'something'!

When I was adding the papers to the chipboard pages I used a spray-on adhesive. This works perfectly and gives a nice even coverage. Then simply use a sharp xacto knife and trim around the edges! Easy-Peasy!!

We are silly and completely odd, but after 12 years we are each others life.

MOSD Stick Ons - Twirly Gigs have a special place in my heart. They are just beautiful and I can't get enough of them. On this page I used them in white, but they come in a multitude of different colors that suit just about any ones Paper crafting needs!

He thinks it's cheesy, but the man supports me 100%! Hobbies are a good thing!

Oh, and one of the most amazing MOSD products EVER are the Spiral Rings. On this album I used them in brown. If I am creating an album of any kind I guarantee you that I am using these amazing rings. They are simple to use and made of sturdy plastic and come in 6 fantastic colors!

Another thing that I love to do when creating anything is to up-cycle or recycle items. On this Album I reused the center punch out that came out of the star divider page. By simply turning the star and tacking it down I not only added dimension to the page but also saved it from going to Scrapbook heaven!

Speaking of using things. This entire album is embellished with product that I have had around forever! Like these rub-ons. They are leftovers from a multitude of packs. So when you have so many rub-ons just laying around try using them up and create a background out of them!

Kids are the sweetest when they sleep, that's why I love to watch them. No matter how rotten they are during the day when you watch a child sleep they are all little angels :-)

What he doesn't realize is that I absolutely adore his hobbies!

On this last page I added this little envelope. I just adore little hiding places. It's where I put a copy of his email that I created this entire album about. Thank you MOSD for bringing out the softer side of my husband :-)

And Thank you all for taking the time for stopping by today to check out what I have been up to. I will be back next month with a new project, so be watching!! And don't forget to check back regularly to see what the rest of the FAB MOSD DT has been creating. They are full of inspiration and wonderful ideas!!

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Hi Everyone!!! It's November and it's time to enjoy the autumn leaves, Thanksgiving, and pumpkin patches!!! I just can't believe the holidays are already here! This year has flown by so quickly! I am happy to be here this month with my November project. This month I decided to create a Fall Mini Album using the Perfectly Shaped Build a Book pages. I know that I will be taking a lot of pictures this month because of Thanksgiving and all the other Fall activities that my family does.

The Perfectly Shaped Build a Book pages can be found HERE. The shapes I used for my mini album are the Square, the Mega Sawtooth, and the skinny Rectangle. These pages are very easy to create with. I used several different types of ink, paint, and paper to embellish these. MOSD has many different shapes that are available, so don't forget to check out the MOSD website for awesome products for all of your creative projects!!

Here is my mini album:

Don't forget to check out all of the talented ladies of the MOD SQUAD!! We have an awesome group of ladies on the design team who have great projects to showcase each month!! Check out the MOSD website for all of your scrapbooking needs! Have a very Happy Thanksgiving! I'll see ya next month!!! :)

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

The chipboard comes in many shapes and sizes and I love how it can make a page come alive. I used one of the shapes and cut my PP and then distressed the edges. You can reuse them to cut them out or you can use it with the PP as I did. I wanted my photo to pop a bit so it added dimension. TFL

Sunday, November 8, 2009

...like Christmas everywhere! Can you believe how quickly they start the Christmas season?! On November 1st there was Christmas music playing in the stores, Christmas commercials on TV and Pre-Black Friday sales beginning in stores! All this Christmas hype gets me feeling like I am behind already! So I plan to take time this year and enjoy the holiday season and I want to remember how we spent this BUSY time of year! To help me I am planning to do a 25 days of December mini book this year. I have the pages covered in pattern paper and numbered so when December starts I just need to take my pictures each day and then put them in and journal about our day.

To create my fun little book I of course turned to the AWESOME Midnight Oil products! My pages are an assortment of of the various shapes of the Perfectly Shaped Pages and my covers are the Perfectly Shaped Covers. I have 25 pages in my book for a total of 50 pages allowing me LOTS of room to capture my memories, but with the spiral rings I can always add or take away pages as I go along! Here is the start of my book and be sure to follow my blog during the month of December to see how it all comes together!

Well I hope you may have been inspired to create a book of your own and be able to reflect on all the fun memories that you have during the month of December!

Friday, November 6, 2009

One of my favorite types of mini albums to work with is MOSD's Cover 2 Cover mini albums. Cover 2 Covers have chipboard pages and acrylic covers.My project today features the Show Off album. I added a couple of extra chipboard pages to the four it comes with.I chose to create an album featuring Words to Live By. Here is the concept behind my mini:I chose 10 words that have a powerful impact to me and built my book around it. I used a variety of vintage looking products to create a collage of quotes and thoughts for each word. Here is a peek of some of the pages:

I hope you've been inspired by this mini to choose 10 words to scrap.Have a great weekend everyone!